Slidable curtain for vehicles



Feb. 15 1927.

F. G. PROCTOR SLIDABLE CURTAIN FOR VEHICLES Filed Sept. 12. 1925 oftenimpossible to'either raise or low'erthe employing considerable force and eifort whichoften results in the I torn and the celluloid window p 7 [of the strip to swell and become distorted,

I broken.

patentecl Feb. 15 1927.

FREDERICK G. PROCTOR, or DETROIT, MioHIeAN, assisnofn T0 rRooToR-KEEFE oo'ivr PANY, or nn'rnorr iaioiareaiv, A COPAR'INERSHIP.

sL InAB 'Ln CURTAIN FOR VEHICLES.

"Application filed-September 12, 1925. serial No. 55,998. 7

My invention relates to slidable curtains for motor driven vehicles, and while more particularly designed 'for truck cabs is equ'ali vention 1s. to provide a curtain which may ly well adapted for other types of vehicles.

Vehicle curtains 1 fitted with a I flexible transparent WlIlClOW medium and securedto a window or door frame having resilient side rails, whereby they mayslidein vert cal and connecting f overhead horlzontal channel guide rails are well known in the art. I V y Vehicle If curtains 1 have with registering window openings. in which are "fitted sheet celluloidthe side ma rginal edges of thecurtain being secured to the flexiblej'side bars of a slidable-fr'ame, with" an overlapping selvage strip folded'into U- shaped form tocover the respective edges of the frameandthe curtain fabric.

It 'has' been found however in {practice that such a constructioncauses the innercurtain without curtain being And as a v furtherfl result of the unequal drag and strain caused by tlie bulging of the selvage strip on its lower face and the inner side of the arc whenffrounding the curve of the channel rail it soon becomes worn at J this point thereby increasing the difliculty in raising and lowering the curtain'when required. 7

It has also been suggested that metallic selvage strips be employed on one or both faces'of the curtain at each side thereof but this also has been found very objectionable due to the noise resulting f om the edges of the curtain rattling 1n the grooves of the metallic guide rails in which they slide and which' is greatly' magnified when used in trucks employing'a heavy spring suspension and the vibration of a heavy duty motor. a

The purpose therefore of the present in vention is to overcome these very objectionalso been con-- structed of 'two opposing layers of fabric nels connecting the vertical channel'with its construction of thecurtains. 1

One object, therefore, of the present in-M Iable features and to improve the be constructed ofone or more layers offab- I ric secured at their marginal edges to'the flexible side rails of a frame slidable in verticaland horizontal overhead connecting V guide cl1annelsthe marginal faces of the curtain" and frame ateach side beingicovered 1 by twostrlps OffitbllC securedthereto by a,

line of stitching extending "through. said str ps and. the curtainjfabric+adjacent the ed e of the flexible side'rails of the frame.

y providing respectively twoseparate pairs of fabric st'rips at each side'and face of the curtain to take the wearfoccasioned tnrou'gh 'rais'ing'and lowering the latter, the r inner'and outer s'trlps of each pair readily conform to the dili'erence in-the are produced Devices employingva .U-"s'haped marginal -wearin stri overla vin the ed es of the b 23 ta curtain and frame are alsoetfected by atmos pheric conditions causing" the innerportion presenting a bulging surface which causes a greatfrictional drag upon the channel rail when it is desired to raise or lower the curtainl 7 These objectionable :features are entirely vovercome in my invention by the employ- Q ment' of separate 'wearing'stri'ps' secured to e the inner and outer face of the curtain1 the respective strips readily 'conforming'' to v Furthermore as the greatest wear occurs" when'shiftedi from a vertical'position to its at theinner marginal-edge of the curtain upper horizontal plane; or vice versa, the

inner marginal strip may be readily removed when worn and replaced by a new strip at a nominal expense compared with that of a wide single U-shaped overlapping marginal s p-r" p A further object in employing two'strips of fabric in place of metallic strips is the elimination of noise due to the vibration of motor or jarring of truck when traveling over rough roads.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds the invention further resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed it being understood that changes may be madein the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed with- V out departing from the spirit of the same.

In the drawings accompanying this specification:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the cab and apoi'tion of the body of a motor driven truck.

through the cab showing oneof the window curtains partially raised as when shifting the curtain froma vertical to an overhead horizontal position.

" Figure 3is a vertical ClOSS-SQCtlOllEll'VlBW.

through the curtain and its supporting fram w I Figure 4c is a horizontal cross-sectional view through'the curtain and its supporting frame showing fabric wearing strips covering the marginal inner and outer faces of the curtainsecured by aline of stitch-es extending through the imarginal strips and edgeof the curtainadjacent-the flexible side rails of the window frame.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the curtain and its supporting frame with parts broken away to show the respective layers of fabric forming the curtain, the inner and outer fabric wearing strips secured along one edge by a line of stitches extending through the curtain and wearing strips adjacent to the flexible side rails of the frame.

7 Referringnow to the letters of reference placed upon the drawings:

A denotes. the cab of ar motor driven vehicle.

B, B, designates channel rails secured to .the vertical side frame of the cab and extending upwardly and thence-in an overhead horizontal direction under the roof of the I cab."

' D indicates the curtain frame comprising a pair of flexible slde bars E, E, connected by rigid cross-members F, F, secured to the side bars.

G, G, denote a fabric covering enclosing the frame and provided with suitable win- 7 sheet celluloid.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective View (3 represents a curtain slidable in said channel I'&1lS.-

dow opening H, in which is supported a flexible transparentmedium I, for example i 7 Covering the marginal edges of the fabric at each side of the curtain and overlapping itsflexible side rails are strips of webbing J, J, secured to the curtainvbya line of stitching j extending through the wearing strips and the curtain fabric adjacent to the flexible side rails ofthe frame.

K, indicates a suitablerlevice for manually lifting the curtain secured to, the lower edge of'the latter, whereby it may be readily raised or lowered.

L, designates corner plates secured to the lower rigid transverse rail of the curtain andto the flexible side members.

Attention having been previously called to the advantages gained by employing separate fabric strips respectively placed on,

either side of the curtain at its marginal edge it will not benecessary to further enlarge upon this feature. i

The fabric wearing strips serve to cushion vibration between the marginal edges of the curtain and its guide rails-thus deadening the noise which might otherwise occur (1116120:

the vibration of the vehicle or its motor;- and byemp-loying separate strips the edge of the, curtain presents a smooth even surface of uniform thickness throughout which read described my invention what having window openings; celluloid windows fitted in the openings; a pair of selvage' fabric strips respectivelyoverlaying the margin 7 able frame, said fabric covering and said fabric-strips being extended beyond the I frame and having their outer marginaledges in flush relation, and the said fabric strips being secured to the fabric covering by a line of stitches adjacent the edge of theflexible resilient side rails, whereby folding the window. frame is avoided and tendency of the fabric to bunch up and bind when rounding the curve of the channel groove is prevented;

tion.

- FREDERICK e. PRQCTOR.

I of the fabric covering and each side of both of the flexible resilientside .rails of the slidof any fabric around the outside edges of In testimony whereof, I sign this specifica 

